AEOGA CH57

Lu Xuechao said, “It’s hardly a wonder for someone to be duller than me. Besides… though you, too, have lived so many lifetimes, you have never once lived for yourself.”

In the game’s settings, Lu Xuechao was already the most intelligent person of this age, the sole character judged by the System as possessing “wit bordering on the demonic.” He was so clever that while others were still obliviously manipulated by fate, he was the first to awaken and fall into a conscious cycle of reincarnation.

The world was filled with those duller than him, and there was not a single person wiser.

He was the Star of Wisdom incarnate, whose mission was to assist the Emperor Star. Xie Chongjin was the heaven-ordained emperor; why should he vie for the strategist’s duties?

Besides, Xie Chongjin was by no means foolish.

He was a born sovereign—possessing a heart that cared for the people, a virtue that cherished life, a discernment for talent, and a ruthlessness toward enemies. He and Lu Xuechao had grown up together, and he was hardly inferior to Lu Xuechao in any regard.

It was only that countless lifetimes now lay between them, and so the gap had gradually widened.

No matter how brilliant a person was, their energy remained finite; one could not become omniscient and omnipotent in a single limited lifespan. Yet Lu Xuechao had lived through endless lives. In every lifetime, upon awakening, he would spend his entire existence learning and exploring, yearning to touch the true essence of this world and break free from the endless loop.

Extraordinary intelligence coupled with infinite time could produce an all-powerful deity, even if learning itself knew no bounds.

Regrettably, though Xie Chongjin also retained memories of his past lives, in every single lifetime under the player’s control, he had wallowed in luxury and sensuality, squandering his youth. His grand ambitions had found no outlet, his array of talents had gone utterly to waste, to say nothing of enriching or elevating himself—it was truly a life lived in vain.

That he managed not to lose himself amidst that prolonged, intoxicating decadence was already proof of an unshakeable strength of mind.

“That may be so,” Xie Chongjin said with a faint smile. “Yet seeing Qingshu so formidable, I suddenly feel a touch of apprehension, fearing I might not be worthy of you.”

Before the age of seventeen, Qingshu, though exceptionally intelligent, had not been so utterly omnipotent.

That he had become so all-capable was all to deliver him from his sea of suffering.

Xie Chongjin truly could not help blaming himself.

It was he who had dragged Qingshu down, treated Qingshu so terribly, breaking his heart and claiming his life time after time. Yet Qingshu still harbored no resentment, lifetime after lifetime, striving relentlessly to save him.

Could he truly bear the weight of such profound love?

Was he truly worthy of such wholehearted devotion?

Though Xie Chongjin was smiling, Lu Xuechao caught on instantly—he was likely on the verge of slipping back into his ailment.

Those afflicted with deep depression were ever prone to passive self-loathing; they craved love, yet felt love to be a burden, and because they deemed themselves unworthy of being loved, it was ultimately their self-aversion at play.

Xie Chongjin’s past experiences had, after all, cast an indelible shadow of guilt over him. His need to treat Lu Xuechao a thousand, ten thousand times better was both deep love and an act of atonement—to redeem the thousand, ten thousand ways he had mistreated Lu Xuechao in the past.

Yet Lu Xuechao was so extraordinary that no matter how much Xie Chongjin did, he felt it could never match what Lu Xuechao had done for him.

Before the one they loved, a person would always feel inferior; even as the supreme ruler of the realm, he still worried that he was unworthy.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Lu Xuechao embraced him, speaking word by word in his ear. “We are a match made in Heaven.”

“We are the perfect pair.”

“You are the morning sun’s light, shining with brilliant radiance. You should never feel self-deprecating.”

Xie Chongjin closed his eyes: “Qingshu.”

“If we must truly dwell on it, I, too, wish to ask: by what merit or virtue do I deserve a sovereign’s unswerving, single-minded love?” Lu Xuechao’s features were tranquil and gentle. “I have long heard that emperors are fickle and cold, keeping three palaces and six courts, prioritizing lineage above all else. A sovereign’s favor is like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water, a fleeting illusion; to win even a moment’s affection is deemed vast imperial grace. And yet… Huaiyun loves me with all his heart, never betraying me even when helpless, tolerating my willful refusal to bear heirs, taking on infamy for my sake so that I may live freely and unrestrained like an ordinary wedded couple, spared the rigid decorum of ruler and minister…”

“Is that not as it should be?” Xie Chongjin stroked his dark hair. “How could one let their beloved bow and kneel to them constantly? An emperor’s majestic authority is meant to awe his ministers, not to bully the person sharing his pillow.”

“You say it is as it should be, yet to speak of it to the outside world would be shocking and shocking,” Lu Xuechao said earnestly. “Precisely because you feel it is as it should be, it becomes all the more precious. I have been spoiled by you and take it as common habit, but that does not mean I am unaware that others are not like this. Among the emperors of the four nations, you alone are like this. Looking across the entire history of Changli, you alone are like this. Even when Imperial Father doted on Imperial Mother, did he not also favor a few concubines? Though they treated each other with mutual respect in daily life, there was still a distinction between superior and subordinate.”

“I know that I possess a love unique in this world, envied by all. I have never felt that meeting Huaiyun was my misfortune, and even having endured all the suffering that followed, I have never once regretted marrying you,” Lu Xuechao said softly. “I feel how immensely fortunate I am to have met you, to love you, and to have you love me so steadfastly and purely in return. Setting aside that mocking fate, you are a fine emperor who cares for the tens of thousands of people, and a fine husband who cares for a single person. You are such a wonderful person, yet you do not even realize it yourself.”

“I have received the rarest love in the world, and received it so completely, yet he actually feels unworthy of me,” Lu Xuechao sighed. “This, instead, makes me feel apprehensive.”

“Qingshu, do not feel apprehensive.” Xie Chongjin clasped his hand. “I merely spoke a casual word, yet it prompted Qingshu to say so many words from the heart.”

Lu Xuechao: “Whether it was an inadvertent remark or a genuine thought, you know best yourself.”

Xie Chongjin chuckled softly: “Very well, we are a perfect match; neither of us is unworthy of the other.”

“To have Qingshu praise me so, I am truly delighted beyond measure.”

Only then did Lu Xuechao carry a smile: “This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival is drawing near. By count, in this lifetime, we have not spent Mid-Autumn together for two years, to say nothing of how many years we could not meet in our past lives.”

“Reunion after a long separation is a grand joy. Would Huaiyun allow me to drink a few cups of wine at the banquet?”

Xie Chongjin subconsciously wanted to refuse, but seeing the expectant look in Lu Xuechao’s eyes, he could not bring himself to say it. He merely said: “You are not allowed to overindulge.”

Lu Xuechao curled his lips: “Then my thanks to Huaiyun-gege.”

As Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the palace grew busy once more.

The Imperial Kitchen made mooncakes and distributed them to every palace, while simultaneously making tight, methodical preparations for a crab banquet.

The eighth month was the season for chrysanthemums and crabs. The chrysanthemums in the NONGJU Garden were in full, brilliant bloom, and the crabs were all plump and tender, most suitable for admiring chrysanthemums while partaking in crab. Lu Xuechao prepared to host a crab banquet in the NONGJU Garden, inviting everyone in the harem to partake, considering it a reward for their hard work over the past half year.

Lin Chanzhi sent glad tidings from the capital suburbs: the first batch of early rice in the fields had matured. Once harvested, it could be delivered straight to the palace to serve as the white rice for the crab banquet.

Lu Xuechao made a special trip to the capital suburbs to watch the farmers bending over to harvest rice in the golden fields. When Lin Chanzhi saw Lu Xuechao, he was both surprised and delighted. He quickly ushered Lu Xuechao into the house and personally cooked a meal to entertain him; the ingredients were all self-sufficiently raised and grown, and the rice was made from the newly harvested crop.

“Did His Majesty not accompany Your Highness the Empress today?” Lin Chanzhi asked.

It was rare to see His Majesty and Your Highness the Empress apart. They were usually inseparable, like Meng and Jia.

Lu Xuechao said: “His Majesty has state affairs to attend to.”

In truth, he had simply not notified Xie Chongjin when he left.

Lu Xuechao had observed the winemaking process with a local master brewer in Jiangnan and knew the basic procedures, but at the time he had too many matters to attend to and had not tried making it personally. Lin Chanzhi had a complete set of materials here, so he wanted to try his hand at it.

Xie Chongjin had always disliked him touching alcohol; even if he relented, he would watch him closely, so Lu Xuechao simply did not tell him.

Where was the need to watch him so closely without leaving his side? It was a bit excessively cautious. Lu Xuechao knew Xie Chongjin had ordered the Inner Palace secret guards to protect him in secret, so he would not be in any danger by himself, to say nothing of bringing guards and Shuangjiang along on the surface.

Xie Chongjin was overly sensitive regarding Lu Xuechao’s safety. Excessive sensitivity was abnormal, and it was necessary to perform a bit of “desensitization.”

The front foot Lu Xuechao left the palace, the back foot Xie Chongjin received the news and immediately prepared to leave the palace.

“Why did he leave the palace alone?” Xie Chongjin panicked. “What if something happens?”

Yun Luo reminded: “Your Majesty, the Prime Minister will be arriving shortly to discuss state affairs. With the secret guards protecting him, Your Highness the Empress will surely be safe.”

“Furthermore, Your Highness the Empress did not inform you, likely because he wished to go for a stroll by himself.”

Xie Chongjin froze for a moment before sitting back down, his tone carrying a barely perceptible trace of grievance: “I cling to him all day; does he find me annoying?”

Yun Luo: “…” He had only ever heard of imperial concubines complaining, never an emperor looking so aggrieved.

“Forget it,” Xie Chongjin continued reviewing the memorials, speaking awkwardly. “If he does not want me to follow, I will not follow.”

…

Capital Suburbs, Lin Manor, Farmhouse Courtyard.

Lu Xuechao ate the white rice, chewing finely. This rice was even sweeter, softer, and more fragrant than the rice originally served in the palace; the grains were snowy white and plump, smelling delicious.

Lin Chanzhi truly lived up to the name of “Divine Farmer”. No matter how ordinary something was, once modified and grown by him, the taste was always twice as good as outside.

Seeing Lu Xuechao finish his meal, Lin Chanzhi only then asked: “Your Highness’s presence at my humble abode—is it to inspect the newly harvested rice?”

Before Lu Xuechao could answer, he saw several farmers outside carrying hemp sacks on their shoulders, dumping the contents into a large tub, preparing to load them onto a wooden cart to haul away.

Lu Xuechao asked: “What is that?”

Lin Chanzhi glanced over: “It is some moldy grain, prepared to be hauled out and discarded.”

Lu Xuechao looked thoughtful. Though he did not engage in farming, he was skilled in culinary arts and understood the principles of fermentation; right now, a few thoughts suddenly occurred to him.

He asked: “Do you have glutinous rice here?”

“Yes, I grew glutinous rice, preparing to wrap zongzi to eat for next year’s Dragon Boat Festival,” Lin Chanzhi asked. “Does Your Highness wish to eat glutinous rice?”

Lu Xuechao shook his head.

“Prepare some barley, wheat, green beans, and peas. Grind them into powder, mix them evenly, add water to blend, and place them in your greenhouse to air-dry for a few days until moldy.”

Lin Chanzhi was puzzled: “What does Your Highness wish to do?” Was this not a waste?

Lu Xuechao said: “I cannot be certain whether it will succeed either; I merely had a sudden idea. If it succeeds, wonderful; if not, so be it. I shall return for today.”

The winemaking process was complex, and it could hardly be completed today. Just preparing the materials alone would take several days.

Lin Chanzhi did not understand the reason, but complied according to instructions.

Returning to the palace, Lu Xuechao originally intended to head straight back to Chongxue Palace, but after thinking it over, he changed his path midway to Zichen Hall.

“Your Highness the Empress.” The guards at the entrance of Zichen Hall bowed in salutation and were just about to report, but Lu Xuechao gestured that there was no need to announce.

The guards remained quiet. His Majesty had long ordered that Your Highness the Empress could freely enter and leave anywhere in the palace.

Lu Xuechao entered and saw that Zichen Hall had already set a table for dinner. Xie Chongjin sat by the table, having not yet moved his chopsticks, exuding a strong sense of keeping a lonely boudoir.

Seeing Lu Xuechao return, Xie Chongjin sized him up carefully from top to bottom, and only after confirming he was completely unharmed did he let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, putting on a resentful tone: “You still remember to return. How did you happen to think of coming to my place today?”

Lu Xuechao: “…Which day am I not at your place?” To be precise, Xie Chongjin went to his place every day, never having been apart.

Xie Chongjin said magnanimously: “It is fine as long as you are back, let us dine. The dishes are cold; I waited for you to return and had the small kitchen reheat them several times.”

Lu Xuechao said: “I already ate at Lin Chanzhi’s, eat by yourself.”

Xie Chongjin: “…”

Yun Luo felt that this dialogue sounded wrong no matter how one heard it.

This harem seemed to be Your Highness the Empress’s harem.